Letter Box

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30366, 15 February 1964, Page 9

Letter Box

Foot Faulting

“I wrote to your newspaper last year on the prevalence of foot faulting in the game of bowls and drew a storm of abuse from certain sections. It was my privilege to play in the Dominion bowling tournament at. Dunedin at Christmas and the umpire at one. green, after his welcoming speech, said: “I am not going to worry you; you know the rules and I know you will abide by them.” This comment is typical of the attitude of umpires generally to the problem of foot faulting. “In the centre pairs competition during the last two weeks it has been frustrating to see' a bowler play a winning shot with a foot faulting delivery. As I see it, the need for strict enforcement of this rule stems from the need to keep the palm of the hand pointing in the direction of the green required at the moment of release of the bowL To swing the arm freely and still control the bowl and its weight is the true skill of the game. Many players accomplish this difficult operation by bringing the right foot right off the mat and on to the green itself before releasing the bowl. Also, a good percentage of drives are delivered from a position well off the mat. "To be tolerant to this offence in friendly matches is understandable, but surely in centre fixtures, champion of champion fixtures, and the like, strict enforcement of the rule must be applied as it inflicts hardships on the bowler with the legitimate and more difficult delivery. This letter is not intended as criticism of the umpires, as they have a difficult and thankless task, but the rules are made for a reason and they should be applied ruthlessly. This problem must be tackled at top level and the umpires given every encouragement to do their job thoroughly.”—B. FAIR.